9 Thrilling Summer Festivals Around the World

Missed out on Coachella? Then fear not, there are still ample of opportunities to get glitter and selfie for these unique summer festivals in 2018. From house music extravaganzas in Palm Springs to national pickle festivals in Pittsburgh, there are festivals for music lovers, foodie fanatics and serious surfers. Here are the 9 top summer festivals to travel to this year:

Splash House, Greater Palm Springs, California

Splash House returns to Greater Palm Springs from 8 -10 June, taking residence at three poolside hotspots; The Renaissance Palm Springs, The Riviera and The Saguaro. The Renaissance Palm Springs is the central hub for partygoers, where visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding mountains whilst listening to the best of house music.

Once the sun has set, the party continues into the night with the After Hours program hosted at the Palm Springs Air Museum. Tickets include admission to all three resorts as well as accommodation at one of the host venues. For information check out the Greater Palm Springs website.

Splash House

Outside Lands – San Francisco, California

Outside Lands returns to San Francisco from 10-12 August for a glorious weekend as Golden Gate Park’s wondrous nooks and crannies play host to the Bay Area’s finest celebration of music, food, wine, beer, art and comedy. The main headline acts include The Weeknd, Florence + The Machine and Janet Jackson. Other popular acts taking to the stage, include Bon Iver, Portugal. The Man, and James Blake. Visit the San Fran Travel website for more info on their summer festivals.

San Francisco

KAABOO Del Mar – San Diego, California

KAABOO is everything but a typical music festival. From 14-16 September, Del Mar in San Diego transforms into a live music, comedy, arts and entertainment venue on the beach with views of the Pacific Ocean. This year, the line-up includes Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons and Katy Perry at the three day event. The festival also features unique art experiences including a variety of contemporary public art installations – some created live on-site during the weekend and an art fair with over 100 paintings, sculptures and photography for sale. Find out more on the San Diego website.

The inaugural 2015 Kaaboo music festival at the Del Mar fairgrounds in San Diego, California

Vans US Open – Huntington Beach, California

This is the World’s largest surf competition and lifestyle festival which takes place from 28 July – 5 August. The 9-day celebration of all things surf welcomes 500,000 visitors the beach to see the world’s surfing legends in action. Besides the headline surfing event, visitors can enjoy world-class skateboarding and BMX competitions, movie premieres and art exhibitions. Find out more at surfcityusa.com.

Photo Credit: Michael Lallande

Ushi-oni Matsuri Festival – Setouchi, Japan

Since the 1950’s the Ushi-oni Matsuri Festival has taken place annually from 22 – 24 June in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture. Huge floats in the shape of the legendary Ushi-Oni monster glides through the streets. The monster – with the body of a cow and the head of an ogre – is 6 meters tall and draped in red cloth.

The large stone Torii gate in Japan can be found at the entrance of the Warei-jinja Shrine and at the end of the festival onlookers can watch the night sky light up during the firework display.

Ehime prefecture – Setouchi

The Grandoozy – Colorado

The Grandoozy is a brand new music festival taking place in Denver, Colorado from 14 -16 September 2018. Festival-goers can expect an exciting mix of home-grown Coloradoan artists alongside a diverse set of international names.

With an impressive inaugural line-up, featuring headliners; Kendrick Lamar, Stevie Wonder and Florence + The Machine the festival cements the mile high city as a live music destination. The creators of this new festival, Superfly, are the masters behind Outside Lands in San Francisco and Bonnaroo in Tennessee, so visitors can expect big things from The Grandoozy. Visit the Colorado website for more.

Grandoozy

Portland Rose Festival – Portland, Oregon

Also known as the City of Roses, Portland’s annual Rose Festival takes place this year from 25 May – 10 June. The festival features a variety of over 60 events including a floral parade that sees 20 all-floral floats sail down the Willamette River and a Dragon Boat Race that sees over 80 ornate Chinese inspired boats compete. The festival will end with the Rose Cup Races that celebrates its 58th season in professional road car racing this year.

Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races. Photo: Travel Portland

Picklesburgh – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh’s annual festival dedicated to celebrating the iconic green pickle takes place from 20-22 July this year. For the festival, one of the iconic yellow steel bridges in downtown Pittsburgh (part of the three sisters bridges) the Roberto Clemente Bridge, is closed to traffic and opens up to street food vendors, farm-to-table demonstrations, pickle-themed competitions and live entertainment. Travel to this unique festival for some summer fun!

Picklesburgh. Photo: VisitPITTSBURGH

Farm to fork festival – Sacramento, California

Designed to showcase and celebrate the local production of Sacramento’s food and drink, the Farm-to-Fork Festival is a free festival hosted on the city’s iconic Capitol Mall. The event offers a delicious selection of home-grown offerings that are produced in the farm-to-fork capital of the U.S.

Travel lovers will find food, wine and beer plus live music on the main stage. With live cooking demonstrations taking place throughout the day and interactive booths from local grocers, farms and ranches. Foodie lovers can eat their heart out this year on 29 September.